*Note: The Pokémon League has offically started in Patreon! This Pokémon League is very big with a exciting battles and a few surprises! If you want to read the Pokémon League before anybody, then suscribe to my Patreon! But if you don't want to suscribe don't worry, I'll sell of the Pokémon League chapters so you will be able to buy them without suscribe, although is better to suscribe if you want to read one specifically you can pay only for that. Link at the end of the chapter like always!
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The atmosphere inside the Cinnabar Island Gym was thick with a sweltering, oppressive heat that seemed to vibrate with every breath the spectators took. On the battlefield, both Pokémon locked eyes in a silent, high-stakes standoff. Arcanine had his brow deeply furrowed, his nostrils flaring as he exhaled small puffs of embers. He was watching Floette with a look of extreme, almost instinctive caution, as if his primal senses were screaming at him about the true danger represented by the tiny, delicate creature floating calmly before him.
Floette, in stark contrast to the fierce Fire-type, remained unsettlingly serene. She drifted gently in the air, clutching her small, precious flower with a grip that was firm yet graceful. She gazed at Arcanine with a look of absolute tranquility, a quiet confidence that bordered on the divine. The faint, subtle smile drawn upon her small face gave her an aura of overwhelming superiority; it made her look like a legendary final boss patiently facing a mere novice. In that moment, through Floette's eyes, it truly felt as though the massive, powerful Arcanine was nothing more than a small, harmless child.
"Arcanine, use Flare Blitz!" – Blaine exclaimed, his voice booming across the rocky arena.
"Arca!" – Arcanine barked in response, his voice full of a burning determination.
Without a second of hesitation, Arcanine began to draw upon the scorching energy of the gym itself. He was immediately surrounded by a gargantuan aura of fire, an incandescent shroud that enveloped his entire body in an instant. The flames didn't just flicker; they roared with a terrifying intensity, turning a deep, furious crimson that seemed ready to incinerate anything—and anyone—that dared to stand in their path. Once the fire had covered every inch of his muscular frame, turning him into a living meteor, he lunged toward Floette with the raw, unchecked ferocity of a predator that had finally spotted its long-awaited prey.
"Floette, wait until the very last moment! Don't move yet!" – I said, my voice steady despite the wall of heat rushing toward us.
Nothing more needed to be said. Floette understood perfectly what Ash meant without the need for further explanation. Little by little, the metaphysical bond between them was deepening, reaching a point where their understanding was improving so significantly that they could now read each other's deepest intentions and tactical shifts without the need for many spoken words.
Arcanine, surprisingly, did not use the full, blinding extent of his speed to strike Floette immediately. Instead, as he closed the distance, he deliberately slowed his pace just a fraction. He was testing her, observing her every movement with sharp, analytical eyes, ready to retreat or adjust his trajectory at the slightest hint of sudden danger. The sensation that Floette projected toward him… it simply wasn't normal for a Pokémon of her size. Despite her small, fragile appearance—looking as though a stiff breeze might blow her away—Arcanine felt a crushing pressure, as if he were standing before a massive, ancient, and powerful giant of the Pokémon world.
Floette stood—or rather, floated—completely still. She was a statue of calm amidst the raging firestorm. She waited with a terrifying degree of patience for Arcanine to get close enough to feel the heat of his aura. When Arcanine was only a few measly meters away, he finally committed, lunging with every ounce of his considerable strength, determined to bring this fight to an end with a single, devastating, and world-shaking blow.
"Now! Use Psychic to stop him right there, and follow up immediately with Moonblast!" – I commanded, my arm outstretched.
Floette's eyes suddenly snapped wide, glowing with an intense, haunting blue light that seemed to cut right through the orange glare of the flames. Arcanine, who was just a fraction of a second away from making contact, felt an invisible and overwhelming force seize his entire body. It was as if the air around him had suddenly turned into solid diamond, halting his massive momentum mid-air. No matter how much he snarled, how much he strained his muscles, or how hard he tried to push forward to break free, he found that he couldn't move a single inch. He was suspended in a telekinetic grip that defied the very laws of physics.
"What? This is impossible! He stopped a full-power Flare Blitz with a Psychic move?" – Blaine shouted in complete and utter disbelief, his sunglasses nearly slipping from his face.
Stopping a move as powerful, heavy, and momentum-driven as Flare Blitz using only the mind was a feat very few Pokémon in the world could ever hope to achieve, let alone a Pokémon in its second evolutionary stage like Floette. But the spectacle was far from over. While Arcanine remained trapped in that crushing telekinetic hold, paralyzed and unable to do anything but watch his fate unfold, Floette began to gather a massive, swirling vortex of energy within the petals of her small flower.
"Flo!" – Floette cried out, her voice ringing clear like a bell over the crackling of the gym's lava.
A brilliant, powerful sphere of pure moonlight energy blasted from the center of her flower. The Moonblast struck Arcanine directly at point-blank range, leaving him no room to dodge or brace for the impact. The resulting explosion was so violent and concentrated that it shook the foundations of the entire gym, sending ripples through the lava pools and creating a thick, acrid cloud of smoke and dust that completely obscured the battlefield from view.
"Arcanine! Get up! Answer me!" – Blaine called out, his voice now laced with genuine worry and desperation.
The silence that followed was heavy. When the smoke finally began to clear, drifting away in the hot updrafts, Arcanine was revealed lying motionless on the cracked ground. His powerful body was bruised, and his beautiful fur was singed and blackened by the raw fairy energy. He tried to get up, his paws trembling as he struggled to find any sort of footing on the uneven rock, but his strength had completely evaporated. His legs gave way beneath him, and he fell back down, his eyes rolling back as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Arcanine is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Floette!" – the referee announced, waving his flag toward Ash's side.
Blaine stood in stunned silence for a long moment, his eyes fixed on his fallen partner. There was a mixture of deep respect and genuine shock etched into the lines of his face. Slowly, he took out Arcanine's Poké Ball and recalled the loyal Pokémon into the safety of the red light.
"You did a magnificent job out there, Arcanine. You fought with the heart of a lion. Rest now, old friend" – Blaine said softly, his voice barely a whisper. He then looked across the field at me, his expression shifting, becoming more serious and focused than it had been during the entire duration of the match. The playfulness was gone. – "I must admit, Ash, in all my years as a Gym Leader, I've never seen a Floette like yours. Her power isn't just impressive; it's truly terrifying. You've raised a monster in a tiny package. But don't celebrate just yet, because the battle isn't over. I still have one Pokémon left in reserve, and he is, without a doubt, my strongest. The true King of this volcano. Go, Charizard!"
From his Poké Ball emerged a colossal Charizard that seemed to double the temperature of the room just by appearing. Unlike most members of his species, this Charizard was significantly larger, standing tall with a more rugged and battle-worn appearance. His skin was a deep, burnt orange, and several jagged scars marked his chest and wings—each one a clear testament to the many fierce, life-or-death battles he had fought and won over the decades. He let out a roar that wasn't just a sound, but a physical vibration that rattled the teeth of everyone in the stands.
"A Charizard… I figured it would come down to this" – I said, narrowing my eyes as I felt the intense heat radiating from the fire lizard.
"This Charizard has been by my side since the very day I started my journey as a Gym Leader. He isn't just a Pokémon; he is my most trusted partner, my brother-in-arms. He has never once lost a battle within the walls of this gym. Not to a Challenger, and not to any rival. Let's see if your Floette can handle the true, unfiltered heat of a master!" – Blaine shouted, his passion reignited.
"Floette, return! You've done an amazing job, more than I could have ever asked for" – I said, pointing the Poké Ball toward her and recalling her. She deserved the rest after such a display. I then looked down at my feet, at my starter Pokémon, the one who had been with me through every triumph and every defeat since the very beginning of my journey as a trainer. My best friend and my most reliable partner, Pikachu.
"It's time to step up, Pikachu. We've come a long way together. Let's show them exactly what we're made of, and why we're going to be the best!" – I said with a confident, wide smile.
"Pika pi!" – Pikachu nodded, his tail twitching with excitement.
With a quick, agile leap that showcased his incredible reflexes, he landed directly on the center of the battlefield. Tiny sparks of yellow electricity began to dance and crackle in his red cheeks, sensing the massive power of the opponent before him.
"Another unevolved Pokémon? After all this, you still rely on basics?" – Blaine wondered aloud, though his tone held no mockery this time.
In truth, after what he had witnessed with Wartortle's sudden evolution and Floette's god-like power, he didn't dare underestimate the small Pikachu standing before his giant Charizard. His mind was racing, wondering if this Pikachu was also another "monster" disguised in a small, cute body, just like the others Ash had brought to the field. He braced himself, knowing this was the final act of the play.
[A mission has been issued by the System!]Objectives: Defeat Blaine's Charizard in fewer than 10 successful attacks.Reward: Mega Light Ball.
Mega Light Ball: An extremely rare and exclusive item that only Pikachu can use. Its effects are the same as the standard Light Ball, doubling Attack and Special Attack. However, unlike the regular version, this enhanced version also boosts the user's Speed and both Defensive stats by a staggering 30%.
I was completely and utterly shocked by the sudden mission prompt appearing before my eyes. Why was the system suddenly granting me access to items that didn't even exist in the original games? This wasn't just a slight buff; this item was incredibly OP, practically game-breaking. Not only did it have the terrifying offensive power of the normal Light Ball, but that 30% increase across speed and both defenses was a massive game-changer. What kind of unstoppable monster would this Pikachu become if he managed to hold an item of this caliber? I couldn't even begin to imagine the raw potential of his future battles, but one thing was certain: I would do everything in my power to complete this mission and obtain that reward.
{Note: I actually felt bad giving an exclusive item to Floette and not to Pikachu, who has been with him from the start; it just didn't seem right to me as an author, so I decided to fix that balance right here.}